India: Demand for water tankers zoom

Despite receiving its daily quota of drinking water from various sources, the city is facing a water shortage. And, taking advantage of the demand for water tankers, drivers

are making a pretty penny by fleecing the thirsty citizens.
Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board's (HMWS&SB) dial-a-tanker service offers water for Rs 325 per 5,000 litres but its drivers are charging as much as Rs 1000 for the same. This is because the Water Board is unable to meet the demand and the waiting period for the tanker supply has increased from three to four days to a week, said sources.
There were more than 5095 bookings pending with the HMWS&SB's call centre as of Saturday. The pending cases are more from areas like Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Kukatpally and Sainikpuri. Enquiries revealed that the drivers of the tankers, instead of supplying water to customers who book through the board's call centre, were selling it in black at Rs 800 to their known customers and demanding Rs 1,000 if it is needed the same day.Calls to the board's dial-a-tanker number (155313) have trebled over the last fortnight for tanker bookings. In view of the high demand, the board is taking at least a week to deliver the tanker. "There is also a baseless apprehension that the delay in monsoon will lead to a drinking water crisis in the coming months. It is not true," said an official.
Source: TNN